Interior Design Terminology to Inspire Your New Kitchen or Bedroom

Are you excited to start redesigning your kitchen but unsure of what some of the options are? Here are some of the more niche terms we use to describe decorative and structural elements in our custom kitchen designs!

Alcove

An alcove is the nook, arched opening or recessed section of a room where the wall is built further back then the rest of the room.

Butcher’s block

A Butcher’s block is when a kitchen island or worktop features a built-in wooden block for chopping food. Bespoke Butcher’s block designs make your kitchen truly unique and functional.

Corbel

Corbels are added under beams or gables to provide additional weight support and to add a decorative, 3D look to your bespoke kitchen or bedroom design.

Cornice

A common feature in traditional kitchens, a cornice is the decorative trim that is installed around the tops of tall wall units.

Clerestory

Windows above eye-level.

Dentil

Similar to a corbel, a dentil is an element installed under a cornice in a repeating pattern that adds a decorative element to the room.

Handleless kitchen

Modern kitchens featuring doors without handles are sleek and elegant. Handleless kitchens can include push catches – as the name suggests, you simply push the doors to open or close them – or integrated handles that are cut into the doors.

Lintel

A lintel is a structural, load-bearing beam that rests on pillars over openings like fireplaces, doors, and windows. It can serve as a support or as an ornamental feature.

Patina

A gloss or film on a surface that occurs with age or due to artificial distressing.

Pelmet

The opposite of a cornice, a pelmet is the decorative trim fitted at the bottom of wall units, which can help obscure downlight fixings or cabinet legs.

Peninsula

A connected kitchen island that forms a U-shape to create flow in open plan kitchen/diners.

Shaker kitchen

Shaker kitchens feature square wooden kitchen doors with flat panels on the fronts. They’re handmade using long-lasting wood like oak, cherry, and maple and boast simple, clean lines. Shaker kitchens are often painted or stained in the colour of your choice.

Bespoke Interiors provides bespoke kitchen design in Newcastle, Northumberland & Durham. Contact us with any questions about designing your new kitchen or bedroom or to book a design appointment.